Young child found walking near highway

April 14, 2006|YONIKA WILLIS Tribune Staff Writer

ELKHART -- Authorities said a Middlebury woman found a toddler walking close to a highway Tuesday. The woman, who police said works at a business along Indiana 19, noticed the little girl walking less than 10 feet away from Indiana 19 about 4:15 p.m. The child is between the ages of 1 and 2, authorities said.The woman took the child to ABC Daycare, 57867 Indiana 19, and someone at the center came out and took the little girl, said Trevor Wendzonka, Elkhart County Sheriff's Department public information spokesman. "As far as I know, there were no injuries," Wendzonka said. The woman reported the incident to the Sheriff's Department after finding the child. Child Protective Services is conducting an investigation into the incident, Wendzonka said. Brian Carnes, media specialist with the Family and Social Services Administration, said the day care has been licensed since 2002. The home day care was put on three-month probation in May 2004 for children being seen unsupervised outside the facility. At that time, the facility also was cited for having a teacher-to-student ratio of 1 to 12, which is beyond what it was licensed for, Carnes said. Attempts to reach the owner of the day care were unsuccessful Thursday.